Crestwood Publications
Crestwood Publications, also known as Feature Publications, was a magazine publisher that also published comic books from the 1940s through the 1960s. Its title Prize Comics contained what is considered the first ongoing horror comic-book feature, Dick Briefer's "Frankenstein". Crestwood is best known for its Prize Group imprint,Prize Group at the Grand Comics Database published in the late 1940s to mid-1950s through packagers Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, who created such historically prominent titles as the horror comic Black Magic, the creator-owned superhero satire Fighting American, and the first romance comic title, Young Romance. For much of its history, Crestwood's publishers were Teddy Epstein and Mike Bleier. In the 1940s the company's general manager was Maurice Rosenfeld,Simon, Joe, with Jim Simon. The Comic Book Makers (Crestwood/II, 1990) ISBN 1-887591-35-4; reissued (Vanguard Productions, 2003) ISBN 1-887591-35-4, pp. 123-125. and in the 1950s the general manager was M.R. Reese. In the mid-1950s, the company office manager was Nevin Fidler (who later became Simon & Kirby's business manager). In addition to Simon and Kirby, notable Crestwood/Prize contributors included Leonard Starr, Mort Meskin, Joe Maneely, John Severin, Will Elder, Carmine Infantino, Bruno Premiani, Dick Ayers, George Klein, Jack Abel, Ed Winiarski, and Dick Briefer. History Origins: Prize Comics In 1940, Crestwood's Prize Publications, already established as a producer of pulp magazines, jumped onto the superhero bandwagon with the new title Prize Comics. The first issue featured the non-superpowered, costumed crime fighter K the Unknown, whose name was changed to the Black Owl in issue #2, April, 1940). In Prize Comics #7 (Dec. 1940), writer-artist Dick Briefer introduced the eight-page feature "New Adventures of Frankenstein", an updated version of 19th-century novelist Mary Shelley's much-adapted Frankenstein monster.[http://www.comics.org/details.lasso?id=1155 Grand Comics Database: Prize Comics #7 (Dec. 1940)] Considered by comics historians including Don Markstein as "America's first ongoing comic book series to fall squarely within the horror genre",Frankenstein (1940) at Don Markstein's ToonopediaWatt-Evans, Lawrence. "The Other Guys", The Scream Factory #19 (Summer 1997), reprinted as "The Other Guys: A Gargoyle's-Eye View of the Non-EC Horro Comics of the 1950s" at Alter Ego #97, October 2010, pp. 3-33. On page 5 of the latter, the author notes, "...there were no horror comics as such in the earliest days. The first real horror series seems to have been the 'Frankenstein' series by Dick Briefer, in Prize Comics ... was a superhero title, featuring the Black Owl, the Green Lama, and the like, except for this one aberration". the feature, set in New York City circa 1930, starred a guttural, rampaging creature actually dubbed "Frankenstein" (unlike Shelley's nameless original monster). Simon and Kirby's Prize Group Young Romance Launched with a cover date of September 1947, the Prize Group title Young Romance signaled its distinction from traditional superhero and genre comics with a cover banner stating the series was "designed for the more adult readers of comics". Told from a first person perspective, underlining its claim to be recounting "true" stories, the title was an instant success, "becoming Jack and Joe's biggest hit in years" and selling "millions of copies"Ro, p. 46 and a staggering 92% of its print run. Crestwood increased the print run by the third issue to triple the initial numbers, and well as upgrade the title from bimonthly to monthly through issues #13-72 (Sept. 1949 - Aug. 1954).Howell, Richard, "Introduction" to Real Love - The Best of the Simon and Kirby Romance Comics" 1940s-1950s (Eclipse Books, 1988).Miller, J. J., Thompson, Maggie, Bickford, Peter & Frankenhoff, Brent, The Comic Buyer's Guide Standard Catalog of Comic Books, 4th Edition (KP Books, 2005) - "Young Romance", pp. 1599-1601 Within a year-and-a-half, Simon & Kirby were launching companion titles for Crestwood to capitalize on the success of this new genre. The first issue of Young Love (Feb. 1949) also sold well with "indistinguishable" content from its parent-title. Further spin-off titles Young Brides (married couples' stories) and In Love ("book-length" stories) also followed from Crestwood/Prize, and were produced by the Simon & Kirby stable of artists and writers. Black Magic The long-running horror/suspense title Black Magic debuted in 1950. According to Jack Kirby, the idea for Spider-Man originated with him and Simon, who developed a character called The Silver Spider for Black Magic, who was subsequently not used.Jack Kirby in "Shop Talk: Jack Kirby", Will Eisner's Spirit Magazine #39 (February 1982): "Spider-Man was discussed between Joe Simon and myself. It was the last thing Joe and I had discussed. We had a strip called 'The Silver Spider.' The Silver Spider was going into a magazine called Black Magic. Black Magic folded with Crestwood ... and we were left with the script. I believe I said this could become a thing called Spider-Man, see, a superhero character. I had a lot of faith in the superhero character that they could be brought back ... and I said Spider-Man would be a fine character to start with. But Joe had already moved on. So the idea was already there when I talked to Stan". (Ironically, eventual Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko drew a six-page story in Black Magic vol. 4, #3, Dec. 1953.) Controversy In 1954, a Crestwood/Prize salesman urged Kirby and Simon to launch their own comics company, Mainline Publications, while the duo continued to produce work for Crestwood under contract. When the duo rearranged and republished artwork from an old Crestwood story in the Mainline title In Love, Crestwood refused to pay Simon and Kirby.Ro, p. 55. After reviewing Crestwood's finances, Simon & Kirby's attorney's stated that the company owed them $130,000 over the past seven years. Crestwood paid them $10,000 in addition to their recent delayed payments.Ro, p. 56. Decline Crestwood gave up publishing comics in 1963, selling off its remaining romance comics to publisher DC Comics.Don Markstein's Toonopedia: "Romance Comics". Accessed May 27, 2008. It continued to publish humor magazines, such as Sick, up until 1968 (when Sick was acquired by Hewfred Publications). Comic-book characters *Airmale *American Eagle *Atomic Man *Black Owl *Blue Streak *Bulldog Denny *Captain Gallant *Dr. Dekkar, Master of Monsters *Dr. Frost *The Futureman & Jupiter *Green Lama (also published in pulp magazines and by Spark Publications) *Junior Rangers *Master Magician *Power Nelson *Ted O'Neil *Yank & Doodle Titles published References Notes Sources * * External links *Crestwood/Prize characters at International Superheroes Crestwood Publications Category:Defunct comics and manga publishing companies Category:1940 establishments in the United States Category:Companies established in 1940